Primetime
by emmag88
Summary: Andrea, a sophomore and nothing special, has had an undying crush on Josh Ramsay, a troubled senior, since she moved to Vancouver. Eventually she gets pulled into the horrible things that make Josh troubled. Her best friend, Matt Webb tries to save her.
1. Crush

"Andy? Earth to Andy.." My best friend Matt waved his hand in front of my face.

I jumped slightly, turning back to him. "Huh. What?"

"You're such a creep, I hope you know that."

I narrowed my eyes, "I am not a creep."

"Don't kid yourself." He chuckled, pushing his sandy brown hair out of his eyes, "What do you see in him anyway?"

"Who?" I said innocently.

He raised his eyebrows, "The guy you've been staring at the past fifteen minutes when you should've been listening to me. You know, Josh Ra-"

"Shh!" I said, leaning in and glancing at the people sitting at the surrounding cafeteria tables, "Don't say it so loud!"

Matt smirked, "Then tell me what you see in him. It's not like you've ever spoken to him, anyway."

I ignored his question and began examining the tips of my dark brown hair for split ends.

"Andrea, come on. We're best friends, you're supposed to tell me these things."

I sighed. It was true. He _was_ my best friend. Actually, more or less my only friend. Ever since we were in the fifth grade, when I first moved here to Vancouver, he was the only one that was comfortable enough to have me around - bruises and all. And yes, I did go through a phase when I had a small crush on him. But could you blame me? With his wavy brown hair, glowing hazel eyes and boyish good looks, Matt Webb had most of the girls in our school wrapped around his fingers - and still does. All the girls were put off by the fact that he spends all his time with me. They didn't understand why someone as beautiful as him would hang around with someone as average as me. I was nothing special with my plain brown eyes, wavy brown hair and pale skin. Eventually, I got over my crush and thats when we became best friends; we hung out every day, told eachother everything and helped one another out when we needed it.

Matt was giving me his 'puppy dog eyes' over our trays of food.

I sighed again, "I don't know why you wanna know so bad."

"It helps me understand the female mind better."

"So its easier to get into their pants?"

"I'm offended you would say that," he said, not sounding offended at all, "It's not my fault I'm a teenaged boy."

I rolled my eyes, "Do you wanna know or not?"

He nodded and grinned.

"Well, I don't know really. I guess it's the fact that he's so... different from guys like you-"

"Guys like me?" He interrupted, "Whats wrong with guys like me?"

"Nothing except for the fact that you only care about who has the nicest ass."

"And you think he doesn't care about those things?"

"Matt, stop interrupting or I won't tell you." I warned.

"Sorry. Shutting up now. Continue." He said, trying to look serious.

"It's not that he's not like you. It's just that he seems so serious and... I don't know, almost brooding. Plus, he's the only one in the school with black and blue hair."

"Ah, so you like the rebel type. The bad boys."

I laughed, "If having blue hair makes you a bad boy, then yes. I do."

He laughed too and checked his watch. "Oh man, I'm late for our first choir practice."

"You definitely sound like a man when you say that."

Ha glared at me playfully, "I was going to invite you to come watch, but after that bit of attitude, I don't think so anymore."

I scoffed, "And why would I want to come watch?"

He stood, gathering his tray. "I don't know. Probably because the one who holds your hearts desire is going to be there."

He smirked before turning to walk away. I bit my lip and glanced at the table Josh was sitting at earlier with his senior friends. Sure enough, he was gone. I sighed before gathering my tray, throwing out the garbage and jogging after Matt.


	2. Ready to Mingle

Matt was already in the hallway when I caught up to him.

"I'm assuming you came to apologize?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine. I'm sorry. And you're the manliest man I know."

We stopped in front of the auditorium door.

"I think you could do better than that, my dear." He smiled.

I groaned, "Fine! You're the manliest man in the whole world and I love you more than anything and I won't ever hurt you again. I want you in my life forever." As I said the words Matt opened the auditorium door and everyone turned to stare at us. I felt the heat creep up towards my cheeks. Everybody burst out laughing. Everybody except one guy standing near the back. Josh Ramsay. He had a small smile playing on his pink lips, our eyes met and my blush deepend.

"Yeah, uh, Matt, I'm going to just... sit in the back." I whispered to him.

He nodded with a huge grin and added loudly, "Don't miss me _too_ much."

I hit him in the shoulder before slouching away.

During the whole choir practice, which lasted until the end of lunch, I mostly watched Josh sing. There was something about the way the flourecent lights glinted off his tongue ring whenever he opened his mouth that always caught my attention. Occaisionally, he would look over in my direction which would cause me to blush and then divert my attention to Matt, who would, in turn, wink or stick his tongue out.

When the practice finally ended, Ms. Freeman dismissed the group and I waited for Matt at the door. A few people said "hello" but most of them didn't say anything.

"So, you did great." I said to Matt when he finally got to the door.

"Thanks, but I know you're just saying that. All your attention was on Josh. Which is okay because thats why I invited you to watch."

I smacked his arm just as the bell rung.

"We have... english I believe." I said.

"Thats great. I hope Mr. Morgan actually decided to shower last night."

"Probably not. He showers once a month. We still have a few weeks until the next one." We both laughed.

"I'll meet you there, then." Matt said before turning towards his locker, which was in the opposite direction as mine.

At my own locker, I felt a hand tap my arm. I turned around and saw Matts friend Jessica, who was also in choir, standing there.

"Hey, quick question: are you and Matt dating?"

My eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Huh?"

"Are you and Matt dating? It kind of seemed like it in the auditorium. Everyone thought you guys were having a 'lovers quarrel' or something."

"No. No way. Me and Matt are just friends. Nothing more."

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to clear things up." She smiled and walked away.

The bell to signal the start of the period rang, "Shit!" I said before bolting to class.

As I slid into the room, Mr Morgan noticed, "Late Ms. Thomas."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." I said taking my seat beside Matt.

He laughed, "How are you late? Your lockers _right_ there!"

I ignored his comment and recounted what Jess said in a whisper.

He chuckled again, "I thought you'd be used to people thinking we're dating by now. It happens all the time."

"I _am_! But she said _everyone_ in there. That means Josh too."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't worry about it. He wouldn't spend his time thinking about something like that."

I sat back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest.

"Fine! If it means that much to you I'll let it slip next practice that you're single and ready to mingle."

I sat up with a big grin, "Thanks Matt! You really are the best."

"Yeah, yeah." He said, trying to hide a smile.


	3. Surprise!

The rest of the day flew by quickly and before I knew it, Matt and I were in his care driving home.

"Forgot to ask, we still on for Saturday night?" Matt said, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Oh, right. Back To The Future marathon. I'm not so sure. My step dads back in town and you know how he hates when we hang out." I said, looking out the passenger side window.

"Thats such bullshit! We've been planning this for a week. I'm definitely going to kidnap you or something."

I laughed, "Thats fine. But you're the one who's going to have to deal with Charlie afterwards."

"Right. Good point. He kind of scares me."

"You and me both." I sighed.

We were both silent until Matt pulled up to my house and he spoke, "Why is your mom even with him?"

I groaned, "Matt, not this again. Please?"

"No. I'm serious. Why is she with him? He's hardly ever home and when he actually is he treats you and your mom like shit. Your mom could do much better! Does she know what he does to you? Does she know he hits -"

"Matt, shut up." I interrupted, raising my voice, "You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know how much my mom needs him. We _both_ need him!"

"No, you're right. I don't. Because you never explain! We tell eachother everything, but whenever I bring this up you get all defensive and say the same things. But why? Why does your mom need him so much?"

I let out another frustrated groan, "You wouldn't understand."

"What I _do_ understand us how I feel when you come to school with another bruise added to your body. What _you_ don't understand is how terrified I am when I drop you off after school. How angry I get when I think about the fact that he makes you cry. How disgusted I am knowing he takes out his frustrations on an innocent teenaged girl. And how disgusted I am with myself because I know theres nothing I can do, nothing you'll let me do." He leaned back in his seat looking desperate.

I felt the tears sting my eyes and I turned to look out the window. "Well, sorry you feel that way."

I swiftly undid my seat belt and got out, closing the door loudly behind me. As I walked toward my house, school bag in hand, I heard Matts car back out of the drive way and speed down the street.

I knew he was angry with me for being so secretive. He _hated_ when I kept anything from him, even if it was something as simple as what I ate for breakfast - or what I didn't. He wasn't always so over protective. He used to be just like any other average best friend. But, the last two years have been different. Ever since my accident, he's been an even bigger part of my life, which is why I keep certain things from him. I'm afraid I'll lose the only solid thing I have left.

"Hey mom?" I called from the doorway when I entered.

"Andrea? Is that you?" I heard my moms voice from the kitchen.

I kicked off my shoes and placed them as neatly as possible in the corner. When I was sure everything was perfectly in place I made my way toward the kitchen. My mom was busy scrubbing the counter clean.

"Where's Matt?" She frowned, looking up from the counter.

I dropped my bag on the island chair and opened the fridge, "He's probably halfway home by now."

"You guys get into a fight?"

"Of sorts, yes." I closed the fridge and sat on the chair next to my bag.

"What about this time?" She leaned against the counter to listen.

My mom was great like that. Not only was she beautiful - she had amazing curly auburn hair, tan skin and blue eyes - but she genuinly cared about me and my problems. Ever since we were almost forced to seperate, she's been over-protective. The only reason she was with Charlie was for my benefit, really.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just school drama." I lied.

"Ah, I see. Well, next time you speak, tell him I miss his beautiful face." Sometimes, I swear my mom has a weird cougar crush on him.

"Will do."

"You better get upstairs and make sure your room is spotless. He'll be home any minute."

I sighed, knowing she was talking about Charlie, before standing up and grabbing my bag, "How long do you think he'll be home this time?"

She threw the sponge into the sink, "I don't know. Not more than two weeks I suppose."

"Great. Two weeks of acting perfect." I said sarcastically before turning and trudging up the stairs.

I got to my room to find a pile of clean laundry at the end of my bed. My mom frequently took time off from her job as a secretary at the library so she could clean the entire house the day before my step-dad got home from one of his many business trips.

Charlie wasn't _really_ my step-dad. He and my mom weren't married, but they've been dating for three years - ever since my dad died. I know it might seem cold, but we really did need him. Even though he wasn't the greatest person and _could_ be violent at time, me and my mother, June, try to look past that as best we can, because without him, we'd be no where.

I spent the next hour folding my laundry neatly and putting them in my drawers. I then made sure my room was spotless. Charlie would be angry if there was one small detail out of place.

When I finished I sat on my bed and contemplated calling Matt to talk things out. Before I could even pick up the phone, I heard the front door downstairs open and then close.

"June? Andrea?" I heard Charlies deep voice call.

"Charlie! Welcome home!" To me my mothers voice sounded unnaturally sweet, fake. To Charlie it sounded perfect, like everything should be.

There were murmurs that I couldn't understand before Charlie called my name. I hurried downstairs before he had a chance to become impatient.

"Hey Hummingbird." I gritted my teeth at the nick name, "Got something for you at Niagra Falls!"

I forced a smile, "Charlie, you didn't have to."

"I know. But you deserve it." He bent down and dug around in his suitcase. When he found what he was looking for he stood up and held his hand out to me. I took the trinket and saw that it was a mini snowglobe with the words "I heart Niagra" inside.

"Oh. Wow. Thanks. I love it." I lied.

"I knew you would. I figured it'd make up for me not being here for a while."

"Wait." I said, my heart leaping, "You're leaving again?"

"Charlie has to go to Victoria for a few days." My mom said. It was obvious she was trying to supress a smile. A few days without Charlie meant a few days in heaven for us.

"There was a huge company crisis. I'm leaving Saturday morning."

"That's a shame." I wasn't hiding my sarcasm but Charlie was too oblivious and hell-bent on perfection to notice.

The next morning I was shaken awake by Charlie. I was very surprised to see him in my room but not to see him smiling like an idiot. Last night at dinner he was suspiciously happy and being oddly nice. He didn't lose his temper once, not even when I accidently spilled the entire carton of milk onto the kitchen floor in my clumsy attempt to make coffee.

"I'm driving you to school, Hummingbird. Hurry up!" He said before leaving the room. I was somewhat relieved he decided to drive me. I hadn't spoken to Matt at all last night, so we were still fighting. And I really didn't want to walk all the way to school.

I got dressed and ready for school in record time because I was running late. When I got downstairs to grab a muffin for breakfast, Charlie tossed me the phone.

"Whats this for?" I asked.

"Aren't you going to call _that boy_ and tell him not to pick you up?" I hated when he said that. _That boy_. Like Matt was some sort of disease.

"No. I don't have to call him."

"Hm, I agree. You spend too much time with him anyway."

I rolled my eyes and didn't say anything.

"We better get going if you don't want to be late." He said before turning and exiting the house.

"So... why exactly did you decide to drive me?" I said once we were in the car, bracing myself.

Instead of the anger I was expecting because I questioned him, he glanced at me and smiled, "No reason. Just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Oh." Was all I said. I couldn't help feeling a little unsettled and suspicious by this. He was _never_ this nice.

We finally got to my school 15 minutes later and Charlie parked the car. I gathered my bag but before I could escape, Charlie cleared his throat.

"There actually is a reason I drove you." _Uh-oh_, I thought. "I wanted to talk to you about something..." There was a brief pause. "Before I leave... I'm going to ask your mother to marry me."

It honestly felt like my heart froze. My brain went dead and a lump formed in my throat. "What?"

"I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm going to propose to her. Today."


	4. No Longer Strangers

"I... I don't even - " I started to say.

"It's fine. I know its a big step but I'm ready. I think we're all ready. Now, get inside before you're late." He grinned broadly.

I nodded shakily and fumbled before finally getting out of the confines of the car. I heard the bell ring over head, but I still walked at a slow pace.

I felt numb as I walked through the school hallways. I was too shocked to even cry. The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was talk to Matt. To be close to him. The feeling I got when I reminded myself that he wasn't in my first three classes was like a punch in the chest. I knew that once it sunk in I would be a mess and I needed him around when that happened, regardless of if we were in a fight or not.

That morning passed in a blur. The only thing that crossed my mind the whole morning was whether or not my mom would say yes. There's no way she'd say yes. He was a huge asshole. But, then again, my mom needed him. We both needed him. The right thing to do in her situation would be to marry him.

I knew I must've looked like crap by the way my teachers stared at me, concern clear on their faces. If they only knew my life was crumbling in front of me, if they only felt how I did, they'd understand.

I lagged behind after the bell at the end of third period because I was too consumed with the fact my life was virtually over to hear it. Once I realized everyone in the class was filing out for lunch I made my way out to find Matt before he left for choir.

I got to the cafeteria and glanced around the sea of students. Matt was no where to be found. I felt tears sting my eyes and panic rise in my chest. It would be just like him to ditch school on the one day I needed him most.

I willed myself not to cry as I made my way through the almost empty halls toward the auditorium. I saw people making their way into the room and edged closer, searching for his comforting face. And then there he was, standing against the wall, laughing with Jess.

"Matt," I called and he looked over. As soon as out eyes met I could tell he knew something was wrong. He turned to Jess and said something to her before making his way over quickly. I met him halfway and when we were inches apart I let it all out. I didn't care that we were in the middle of the hallway or that people were watching us, I just cried. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

"It's okay, And. It's okay." He kept repeating in a whisper.

I was instantly comforted. A few more tears fell before I pulled away.

I wiped my eyes and looked up at him, "Thanks Matty."

He smiled, "It's no problem. Thats what best friends are for. Whats wrong?"

I hesitated as he glanced at the closing choir doors. "We can talk about it after," I said, nodding toward the door.

"No, it's fine. You're more important."

"Matt, we can talk about it later. Get in there."

He hesitated, "You sure?"

"Positive. It can wait."

He smiled, "Sure. See you in a few." He gave me a quick hug before ducking inside.

I took a seat on the floor against the wall, wiping my eyes. I felt a little better in the few seconds I was with Matt, but now that he was gone I had nothing else to think about. I folded my arms over my knees and buried my face in them. I wished that I hadn't told Matt to go inside. I needed someone to talk to. Suddenly, I heard the auditorium doors open, but I didn't look up.

"Are you okay?" I heard a vaguely familiar voice say after a couple seconds of silence.

When I looked up I felt my face immediately grow warm. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Josh Ramsay looked at me for a couple of seconds before sitting down next to me. "No offence, but you really don't look okay."

I just stared at him, unable to believe _he_, of all people, was sitting beside me.

"Look, I know you might not be into the whole 'talking-to-strangers' thing, but I figured you'd want to talk to someone. You're boyfriend went inside and I -"

"Whoa, boyfriend?" I finally choked out.

"Well, yeah. Matt. Aren't you two..." He trailed off raising his eyebrows.

"No, no, no, no. Me and Matt aren't dating. He's my best friend, pretty much my brother."

"Ah, I see." He looked almost relieved, "Thats good to hear."

I was about to comment when he spoke suddenly, "Your names Andy right?"

I nodded, speechless that he knew my name.

"I'm Josh. So now we're not strangers. Can you tell me whats wrong?"

I bit my lip, "Its nothing big. My moms boyfriend is going to propose today."

He nodded, "And thats upsetting?"

"Very. Charlie's the _last_ person I want my mom to marry. She can do so much better."

"Why's that?"

He looked genuinly interested and I needed to talk to someone before I exploded so I took a deep breath and continued, "He's just a terrible person. He treats me and my mom like shit. He gets angry for the smallest reasons and he's never home. I'm pretty sure he has OCD so he explodes when things aren't perfect. And he doesn't care about anyone else but himself, he's extremly selfish. Me and my mom are happiest when he's gone." I concluded finally.

"So I guess you won't have to worry about her saying yes."

"Thats just the thing, though. I know she'll say yes."

He looked confused, "But if he's as bad as you just described, why would she even consider saying yes?"

"Because she knows we both need him. Without him we'd literally have nothing."

"I don't believe that. You're both capable of anything you want."

I shook my head and looked down, "Its not... that simple."

he opened his mouth to say something but the auditorium door opened and a group of people came out.

"Looks like the bell rang and we didn't even notice." Josh smiled.

"Looks like it." His smile immediately washed all my worries away.

He stood, dusted off his jeans and held his hand out to me, "I don't think you want to get trampled."

I took his hand, which was warm and smooth, and he helped me up.

"Hey guys," Matt said, seeming to come out of no where. He shot me a smirk.

"Hey Matt," Josh smiled, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Matt asked with eyebrows raised.

"Actually, I was just about to invite Andy, here, to that party I was telling you about." Josh said, placing his hand on my shoulder breifly.

My face was warm when I looked at him, "Really?"

"Of course. I already invited Matt and I figured you need a night away from the house."

Matt turned to me, "Why would you need to get away from your house."

"I'll leave you two kiddies along. Andy, let me know if you're going tomorrow." Josh said before waving and walking away.

As soon as he was gone Matt turned to me, "I'm confused."

"Whens the party?" I asked at the same time.

Matt shook his head, "First tell me whats wrong."

My smile faded and he noticed, "Come on, Andy. Tell me. I care."

I sighed, "Charlie's asking my mom to marry him."

Matt was speechless, "Oh... shit. And, that sucks."

I shrugged, trying to appear non-chalant, "Yeah. But there's nothing I can do. His minds set. So, where's the party?"

Matt narrowed his eyes at my subject change, "Tomorrow. At Becky's."

"Great. Well, better let Josh know we're going."

The warning bell rang and we made our way to health class.

"We can't go, And. We have our marathon. Besides, there's going to be drinking. Not really your thing."

I stopped him outside of the class, "Matt, I need this weekend. We can reshedule our marathon and go to the party together. Please?"

He hesitated, "Fine. Whatever. I don't know how you always win."

"Probably because I'm so cute." I smiled.

He scrutnized my face, "Nah, definitely not."

I laughed and hit his arm.

"Mr. Webb, Miss. Thomas, have a seat." Mr Hawthorn said.

Before we entered the class Matt whispered, "Call me tonight and tell me what you're mom says."

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and nodded.

**Authors Note:**

**Hello hello! I just wanted to say that I'm incredibly sorry for not posting in like two months! I've been super busy with college week and work and life. Plus, my laptop completely crashed so I had to re-write everything I had. It was the worst. But I did it and I hope to be posting more frequently. :)**

**ALSO, thanks so much for the reviews and favorites. It kind of means a lot that people are reading my writing and actually liking it. Like, no joke. You guys are so hardcore. I love it.**

**Thirdly; I know when Josh was in highschool he had his blondish hair and probably didn't have a tongue ring... but try to imagine Josh and Matt as they are now. And I'm going to try and incorporate their family memebers as much as possible. In other words; I'm insanely excited about this story.**

**You guys are basically the best. Thanks for reading!**

**- Em.**


	5. Pretty Reckless

"So she said yes?" Matt's voice cracked over the phone.

"No."

"So she said no?"

I leaned against the end of my bed, "No."

"And, I don't understand."

I took a deep breath. After my family ate dinner that day, Charlie popped the question to my mom. I got out of there as soon as I could and called Matt. "She didn't give him an answer right away. She was shocked."

"Well, thats good right?"

I shook my head and then remembered he couldn't see me, "No. It doesn't matter how long she thinks about it, in the end she'll say yes.

Matt groaned. "This is bullshit. I hate that guy."

"Me too. He's leaving tomorrow morning, though."

"Thank fucking God." He paused, "We're going to the party for sure, right?"

"Yeah, we are."

"Good. I'll let Josh know. He seems very excited for some reason. Probably because of you."

I scoffed, "Yeah right, Matt."

He laughed, "You never know! Listen, I gotta go, And. Call me tomorrow."

"I will. Oh, I hope you don't mind helping me find an outfit tomorrow."

He sighed but I could hear the smile in his voice, "Anything for you, princess."

I grinned, "Bye Matt." And hung up the phone.

I put down my phone and my stomach growled. BEcause I was in such a hurry to leave the dinner table, I didn't eat very much. Deciding to grab a few cookies, I made my way downstairs. Surprisingly there was no one in the kitchen. They must be watching TV in the den. I grabbed a bag of oreos form the cupboard just as the phone on the wall rang. Looking from the oreos in my hands to the phone, to the den and back to the phone, I let out a groan and ran towards it, sliding.

"Hello?" I said slamming into the wall and groaning slightly.

"Um, hello. Is Andrea home?" The voice sounded familiar.

"This is her. Who is this?" I rubbed my arm where it smashed into the wall.

"Oh, hey Andy. It's Josh. Josh Ramsay." He chuckled awkwardly.

My heart literally stopped, "Oh, uh, hi - hello. How's it.. how are you?" I slapped my forehead. Way to sound like a tool, Andy.

He laughed, "I'm doing great. Matt tells me you two are coming to the party tomorrow."

"Uh, yes, yes we are." I squeezed my eyes shut. Why do I sound like such a loser?"

"Great! Hearing it from you puts my nerves at ease... kind of. I can't wait to see you there."

I felt my face flush, "Me nethier. I mean - I can't wait to see you either."

"Good. And if you're wondering - Matt gave me your number. So I'm not a _complete_ stalker."

I laughed, "Good to know."

"Well, I better let you go. See you tomorrow, Andy."

I smiled goofily to me, "See you, Josh."

"So, the red one or the purple one?"

"The gold one."

I let out a frustrated sigh and turned to Matt who was lounging on my bed, "Be serious Matthew."

He sat up, "Fine. The purple one. I don't see why it matters so much."

My mouth fell open, "Are you kidding me? He called and said that he can't wait to see me there. I need to look my best."

He rolled his eyes and stood, "Well if you want to look your best then I suggest taking off some of that makeup. You're prettier without it. And take your hair down."

I gave him a skeptical look.

He raised is hands in defence, "You wanted my opinion."

I threw the red shirt I had in one of my hands into the closet. I then held the purple tank top up to my body. "You sure about this?"

Matt squinted his eyes at me and then smiled, "Yeah. Definitely."

I grinned and ran to my bathroom. I marveled at how great Matt was for coming over pre-party. Not many guys would sit through countless wardrobe changes for their best friend. But he knew I needed him because I didn't have any girl friends to do this with.

"Oh, I wanted to thank you." I called out to Matt as I took down my hair, fluffing it.

"For?"

I pulled on my purple shirt and whiped some of my makeup off, "Giving Josh my phone number."

"Oh, you're welcome. Wasn't a big deal though, he asked me for it."

I was shocked when I stepped back into my room, "Seriously?"

"Yes. Now are you ready? We're already late." He looked up from his watch to look at me, "Holy crap, Andy. You actually look like a girl. I like it."

I laughed, my face turning red, "Whatever. Let's go."

When I glanced at him, his cheeks were faintly pink too.

The music at Becky's party was blasting extremely loud when Matt and I got there. I wanted to cover my ears, but didn't want to risk looking lame. Matt, knowing that I didn't like parties all that much, stayed by my side.

"Want a drink?" He called into my ear.

I shook my head, "Go get one for yourself." I yelled back

"You sure?"

I nodded again and he disapeared to the kitchen.

Not wanting to look like a geek, I made my way through the crowd towards the living room. I noticed Josh stangin by the stereo looking through a bunch of CD's with a friend, a cup in his hand. He glanced up and noticed me standing across the room. His eyes widened and a big grin lit up his pale face. He waved and started making his way over.

"Hey."

My face immediately felt warm, "Hi."

"I'm really glad you made it," He smiled. "Where's Matt?"

I glanced around the crowd of people, "Um, around here somewhere. He's getting himself a drink."

Josh raised his eyebrows, "He's not getting you one?"

"Oh, no, I don't really - "

I was interrupted by a guy coming out of no where, "Hey! You're Andy right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

I saw Josh roll his eyes, "This is Brandon. He's an idiot so don't mind him."

"Hey!" Brandon said, "I may be an idiot but I brought this lovely lady a drink." He handed me a cup.

I was about to protest when I saw Josh take a sip of his. I immediately mirrored his action, wincing at the taste.

Josh and Brandon smiled at me and then Brandon turned to Josh, "So Mark said he got stuff from the guy."

Josh eyes widened, "Seriously?"

Brandon nodded, "Yeah. Enough for everyone. But he's not staying the whole party, so you might want to get it fast."

"Awesome," Josh said. "I'll get right on that." Then he looked at me, "I'll be back in a few minutes, Andy." He turned to follow Brandon but then added, "You look _really_ pretty, by the way."

Then he disapeared.

I was left by myself, in shock. Josh said I looked _pretty._ I couldn't believe it. _Me_, of all people, was called pretty. By _Josh Ramsay_.

"I thought you didn't want a drink." A voice said close to my right ear. I spun around with a huge grin on my face.

"Why so smiley?" Matt asked, then took a swig from the bottle of beer in his hand.

"He called me pretty!" I couldn't help but gush.

"Well you _are_ pretty."

I shook my head, "I've never been called pretty before."

"I cally you pretty all the time!"

"But you don't count. You're my best friend. You're more or less obligated to say that."

"Doesn't mean I don't mean it." He mumbled.

I took another sip of my drink, wincing again.

"Why are you drinking that?" Matt asked.

I shrugged, "Brandon gave it to me."

"Who's Brandon?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "One of Josh's friends."

He raised his eyebrows, "Speaking of Josh." He looked over my shoulder behind me.

I turned around and saw Josh across the room at the back doors. He was talking to a tall blonde girl, grinning broadly. He said something and she burst into laughter, touching his arm flirtatiously.

"I'm sure they're just friends," Matt said hastily.

I nodded just as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. His face flushed and he smiled. She whispered something, laughed and took a long gulp of her drink.

"And... are you okay?" Matt said, touching my shoulder.

I nodded. But I didn't feel okay. I was shakey and tears stung my eyes. I turned my back on Josh and that girl and took a giant swig of the drink in my hand. If Josh liked girls who drank, I was going to drink.

"Whoa, Andy, take it easy." Matt said, trying to take the cup.

I ignored him and downed the rest of it, already starting to feel it. "Come on. Let's get more." I grabbed his hand and pulled him along with me to the kitchen.


End file.
